For my internship duration, I have focused on two theories to talk about. The first theory is the social learning theory and the second is the framing theory. Both of these theories are similar to each other, but different in the way they are presented.
The first theory that I decided to share is the Social Learning Theory. This theory argues that people learn from each other through observing, imitating and modeling the behaviors/ attitudes of others. This theory also explains how human behavior can be shaped by continuous reciprocal interaction. I have taken a higher role in summer camp on the farm this year. I am in charge of the summer camp with one other person, Rendy Richards, who is the camp director and director of education. I have stepped away from all of the chit-chat that takes place between summer camp counselors and volunteers to be more professional. I have noticed that many of the people who work for me have also taken a step in acting more professional by following the way that I present myself and act around other. The more weeks I am with these individuals, the more progress that I see. Not everyone is reciprocal of change, but many of them are showing growth of their social learning.
The second theory that I have decided to share is the theory of framing. This theory was done by Mr. Goffman. He states that “people interpret what is going on around their world through their primary framework. This framework is regarded as primary as it is taken for granted by the user. Its usefulness as a framework does not depend on other frameworks. Rendy and I have had to use this theory with many of our co-workers during the course of summer camp. We have had to frame messages a certain way for certain people on the farm. When we have to frame these messages, it is to get the point across to the employee in the simple terms instead of dragging out the situation. For example, Instead of shaming Wanda (Ashley) for being late almost every day last year at summer camp and not wanting to have the issue dragged over to this year’s camp, we framed a message to all employees. The message was “Please clock in no more than 10 minutes early and be back to the clubhouse for your designated time. For example, if you work at 8:00 AM, please clock in at 7:50 AM and be at the clubhouse at 8:00 AM for your shift. If you have any issues, please contact Conrad or Rendy BEFORE your shift begins”. This was sent to all employees and was an alternative approach instead of shaming one person for being consecutively late.
